A Beautiful Death
by Jinx2016
Summary: Everything seemed like it turned out in the end for the Winchester brothers. Metatron was finally dead, the veil repaired, angels were back in heaven, and Dean was no longer a demon. Still, there was one thing that hadn't been fixed during the never ending year. Cas' grace was still burning out.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Everything seemed like it turned out in the end for the Winchester brothers. Metatron was finally dead, the veil repaired, angels were back in heaven, and Dean was no longer a demon. Still, there was one thing that hadn't been fixed during the never ending year. Cas' grace was still burning out. They had tried to find his grace, but it was no where they could find it. Cas didn't complain about it ever. He didn't want to be a burden to anyone. The only one he would really talk to about his condition was Hannah. His trusted sister. He couldn't talk to Dean or Sam. They had just been through the meat grinder and didn't need anything new to worry about. Instead he allowed Hannah to help him through it all, telling her about the pain and how tired he was. One day it finally happened though. It reached the point to where the truth of what was happening to Cas finally clicked. The angel of Thursday was dying. His face was sunken in from his grace no longer being able to nurture and heal Jimmy's body. His eyes didn't shine as brightly and at moments Cas would be too weak to move. It was that day that Hannah went to see the Winchesters.

"That son of a bitch!" Dean shouted, eyes blazing. "Why didn't he say something? We could have helped."

"Dean," Hannah whispered, gently squeezing the hunter's shoulder. "You know that you couldn't have. His grace is gone. _Forever_."

"Can't he just take a new grace?" Sam questioned. Hannah shook her head.

"That would only delay his demise. Also, do you really believe my brother would ever steal another angel's grace just to extend his own life?" Hannah spoke softly. Both Winchesters looked away from her and to their hands on the table. Hannah watched them, shaking her head. "He wants to be with you both when he goes. I know he does. I think he's just worried what it would do to you both-"

"Damn straight!" Dean shouted, pounding his fist against the table, causing the others to tense. "We've lost _everybody _in this god damn war, Hannah! Now we're going to lose him too!" Dean fell silent for a moment, taking a deep breath and willing himself to calm down. "I don't want to watch someone else die," the hunter whispered.

"Cas doesn't want you to either, but he's scared. He needs you. Both of you," Hannah encouraged. Dean looked up at Sam, eyes meeting and sending several different conversations back and forth. Finally they looked away and Sam finally spoke.

"We'll take care of him, Hannah. Just tell us where he is."

* * *

Dean and Sam pulled up to a hotel in Illinois. They got out of the Impala and made their way to the room number Hannah had given them along with a key. They knocked on the door when there and watched as the door slowly creaked open. Both brothers sucked in a breath. Cas stood in the doorway. His skin was paler than usual. His eyes red rimmed and watery, dark bruises from lack of sleep outlining them. Cas' body quickly straightened at the sight of them, but it did nothing to cover up how worn out the angel was.

"Hello, Dean." The angel paused. "Sam." His voice even sounded weak. Sam nodded at the angel, noticing how Dean only continued staring at Cas with widened eyes. "How did you-"

"Hannah told us, Cas," Sam stated gently. Cas lowered his head slightly and let out a long sigh. A minute passed before he finally stepped aside to let them in. The boys walked inside, taking in the room Cas has been staying in since he grew too sick to fly. It was empty except for the one bed in the room covered in several blankets and pillows. On the nightstand next to the bed was the phone Castiel had been given long ago. Cas sat down on his bed and pulled a blanket over his shoulders. He still refused to look at them.

"Cas, we know that you're...sick. Please come back with us to the bunker," Sam pleaded. He glanced at his brother in hope that Dean would say something, but the hunter only stood silently, watching the angel carefully. Cas shook his head.

"I don't want to-"

"You won't be," Sam reassured the angel. The air turned heavy then and the brothers waited for the angel to decline their offer again.

"Okay," Cas whispered softly, pulling his blanket closer and shivering as he tried to stand back up. Sam reached out to help Cas to his feet then, but Dean beat him to it. The older Winchester took one of Cas' clammy hands and pulled the angel up. Cas staggered slightly, but Dean let the angel lean on him a little for support. Cas looked up at Dean with his tired eyes, looking exhausted already from the amount of energy exerted from the small task. Dean smiled a little at the worn angel.

"Time to go home, huh, Cas?" Cas smiled and nodded. Allowing Dean to help him out of the room while Sam held the door.

* * *

**NEW FIC! YAY! Please review and thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Cas refuses to show the pain. Dean doesn't know if it's for the angel himself or for the hunters. It scares Dean sometimes how calm the angel is sometimes. There are moment when the angel will be so weak he can hardly keep his eyes open and yet...he acts no different. He smiles, laughs, and still acts like the Cas they all know and love. There are days Dean is thankful for it. The hunter feels more relaxed on these days and the worry of the future is pushed to the side briefly. This was one of those days.

"Checkmate," Cas chuckled, watching the shock cross over Dean's face. It was their seventh game of chess already that day and Cas had yet to lose. They had flown through several games together, Sam joining them for a couple. The younger hunter had to go to town though to pick up some supplies so the two had to make do on their own.

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. How Cas managed to win at every game was amazing. He even won when they played the old video games Charlie had dropped off for them a few weeks back!

"Damn, Cas, you could at least have some pity and let me win," Dean teased. Cas turned his head to the side and frowned. God Dean was going to miss that.

"That would be cheating," the angel stated hoarsely. Dean decided not to comment and instead cleared away the game from Cas' lap. When the game was moved Cas pulled his blanket tighter around himself, and burrowed back into the couch pillows surrounding him. Dean chuckled at the sight of the angel cocooned in the pillows and blankets and he swatted at the angel playfully.

"What should we do now?" Dean asked. Cas thought for a moment before suddenly grinning. dean grinned back. "What? Another game of Twister? Cas you know I'm shit at that game and last time we played you had a goddamn coughing fit -"

"Can we go outside?" Cas rushed, interrupting the hunter. Dean frowned disapprovingly, but Cas refused to notice. "I've been cooped up for a month, Dean. I just ask to go outside once before I…" Cas trailed off, remembering how Dean got whenever someone said the D-word. Dean was unwilling to except that soon the angel would be leaving this life. Cas had expected this, but he wished that there was some way to console the hunter.

"Okay," Dean said while swallowing thickly. The hunter gave a sharp nod before holding out a hand for Cas to take. The angel was surprised at first, but he quickly shoved it away, deciding that he wouldn't give Dean time to change his mind. Cas took it and Dean helped the angel off the couch. Cas leaned heavily against Dean. His body was shutting down day by day. Hannah had told them what to expect. Cas's body would start shutting down for the first month and then the second his grace would slowly tear him to pieces from the inside out until finally exploding. Dean hated thinking about it.

* * *

Slowly, Dean helped Cas to the bunker doors and let the angel out into the cool autumn air. Cas breathed in the crispness of the outside and smiled up at the bluish grey sky. Dean smiled at seeing the angel's smile and led Cas down to a spot a ways away from the bunker. It was an open area surrounded by trees. In the center was the stump of an old tree that had been destroyed by a storm long ago. The hunter gently set his friend down next to the tree before sitting down himself and looking out over the red and orange colored forest. Cas leaned against the hunter a little and Dean wrapped an arm over Cas' shoulders.

"I love autumn," the angel whispered, smiling at the scenery around them. "The colors are so beautiful." Dean shook his head, looking away from Cas and down at the ground by his feet.

"I hate it," Dean whispered. "Everything dies. The leaves, the grass, the flowers...everything." Dean lifted a brown leaf from the ground, trying to prove his point. "How can death be beautiful?" Cas smiled at that and took the leaf from Dean.

"The beauty is that it never truly dies, Dean," Cas stated softly. "The leaves, the flowers, the grass –they all grow back."

"What about this tree?" Dean questioned, glancing upwards at the rotting wood. Cas glanced at the tree as well, shaking his head.

"Great beauty takes time to grow, Dean –"

"What about you?!" Dean shouted, looking into Cas' eyes now, tears streaming down his face. Cas stared at him with a startled expression and Dean held his hands over his eyes. "You...you're going to die, Cas, and there's no coming back. You'll be gone and I…" Dean let out a sob and pulled Cas close, crying into the angel's shoulder. "You're my best friend, Cas. Please don't leave me." Cas pressed his face against Dean's hair and let his own tears fall.

"I'm sorry, Dean. I'm sorry," he whispered, shaky fingers stroking through the messy blond hair. "I'm sorry." The angel opened his water blue eyes and looked up at the dead tree they were sitting under. He thought about its rotting bark and its bare branches. That would be him soon. Just a shell of what he once was. "We'll grow together," the angel whispered up to the tree. Dean looked up at the tree as well, fearing the day when Cas' body would be just like it.

* * *

**Yeah, I know it's a bit short, but I'll make up for it next chapter. Thanks to those of you who've followed and favorited and remember...reviews are love!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Dean and Sam pushed open the door to Cas' bedroom, bowl of ice water and cloths in hand. Castiel looked up from his bed forcing a smile at the two.

"Hello, Dean," the angel drew in a ragged breath. "Sam." The brothers each greeted Cas and took a seat on either side of the bed next to the angel. Dean grabbed a penlight from the nightstand and shined it in front of Cas' eyes. They were not even halfway through the second month and already Cas' body was falling to pieces. His eyes now had a white fog over them that made it look like he had cataract. At times the angel would barely be able to breathe and he's gotten so thin and pale that he's practically become a transparent skeleton. Still, Cas forces on a smile every day and asks if they can go out and sit in the fallen leaves by the dead tree. Sam and Dean protest on especially bad days, but Cas always gets his way and they sit out their until well past dark. They'll sit there and envision it full of blooming flowers and bright green leaves.

"How's it, Cas?" Dean asked, setting the light down and pressing a hand to Castiel's forehead. The angel's skin was cool and clammy to the touch, but his forehead was radiating heat. Cas was silent for a moment, trying to will enough strength in order to answer.

"I'm...fine. Sight's...fuzzy…" Cas breathed. Dean nodded and moved his hand from Cas' forehead to the curls of hair atop the angel's head while Sam pressed the cool cloth against Cas' brow. "Hannah?" Cas murmured. Sam pulled the cloth away, shaking his head.

"Sorry, Cas," Sam whispered. Cas went silent, closing his eyes before opening them up again to look at the two brothers.

"I'm...so...tired…"

"We know, Cas. We know," Dean hushed, stroking Cas' dark curls lightly. Cas smiled at him a little, lifting his hand towards the hunter. Dean took it with his free hand, rubbing his thumb along Cas' thin hand. Sam started on a few test on Cas, asking Cas about the pain and asking if he was eating. The hunter really didn't need to ask since Cas' breakfast was still sitting on the nightstand untouched. "Why don't you rest a little bit more and we'll take you outside later, okay?" Dean suggested, hoping to bring a little cheer. Cas nodded happily and Dean lifted Castiel up slightly to adjust the angel's pillow. When he started to pull the pillow from its spot something silver glinted from under it. Dean frowned and grabbed whatever it was, eyes going wide. He met his brother's equally surprised gaze and they both looked to Cas.

"Cas, what are you doing with an angel blade?" Dean questioned. Cas looked away from the hunters, tears slowly building up in his eyes. Dean set the blade down on the nightstand and reached out to Cas, taking the angle's chin between fingers and turning Cas' head so the angel was looking at him. "Cas?"

"I'm...scared, Dean," the angel whimpered, a single tear running down his cheek. "This...Is...already...unbearable," the angel gasped out, voice shaking. "My grace has only...started to...burn."

"So you were going to kill yourself?" Sam questioned, trying to keep his voice light. Cas didn't answer, signaling that the younger Winchester was spot on. Dean stared at the angel, heart bleeding with emotion as he actually _looked _at Castiel. The mask Castiel wore to make everything look fine and hide his burdens was cracked open now. It was leaking out and showing just how much pain and misery the angel was suffering through day by day.

"I don't want...I don't want to go through that." Cas reached out, taking the blade from Dean and holding it to his own chest. It shook in his hands and both the Winchester's could see the fear in the angel's blue eyes. Cas looked up towards Dean and Sam, tears falling more and more. "Please...h...help me?" he sputtered. Dean shook his head, backing away from the angel, shaking with fear.

"No...no…"

"Dean," Sam tried, but the hunter didn't hear him. Cas called for the hunters again, arms falling limp with exhaustion back onto the bed and the blade clattering to the floor.

"Please," the angel whimpered. Dean looked at his friend, envisioning a bloodied Cas against the pale white sheets. "Dean!"

Dean turned his back and exited the room, ignoring his brother and angel calling out to him. The hunter picked up speed, running down the hall and out the bunker door. Still he didn't stop. He kept running, feet crunching against the fallen leaves until he finally collapsed at the base of the dead tree. He buried his face into the leaves on the ground, falling apart in the open area. He screamed into the ground, hating the world. Dean knew Cas was dying and he knew his best friend was in pain, but to the point where Cas actually wanted to end it himself and was asking him to help just made it ten times worse. Dean slowly raised his head, looking up at the dead tree. _'A beautiful death,"_ the wind whispered around him and Dean slowly sat up. What was so beautiful about this? Cas wasn't going to come back from this. He was going to die in that bed slowly and painfully and later Dean and Sam would be forced to burn his body to ash. Bile rose in Dean's throat just thinking about it all. He reached out to the old tree, pressing his hand against the bark.

"Please…" he half sobbed. "Don't make me do this."

Dean returned to the room that night, eyes red rimmed and face tear tracked. He looked towards Cas bed to see Sam gently dabbing at the panting angel's brow. Sam looked up when he heard the door click shut and smiled a little at his brother before turning back to Cas.

"He was convulsing a little while ago," Sam explained. Dean took a seat on the bed and took Cas' skinny hand in his. Sam watched, eyes wet. "Dean, I really don't know how much more he can take." Dean dropped his head a little, bring Cas' hand close to his face and placing the still hand against his cheek as the tears started to fall again. God damn it how was he still crying?!

"Sammy, I can't…" Dean licked his lips, dropping Cas' hand again. "I...I don't want to lose him," he practically whispered. Silence engulfed the room and Sam dropped the cool cloth back into the water before reaching to his brother and pulling Dean into a tight embrace.

"Dean, it's alright," he whispered. "It'll be okay." Dean shook his head. No, it was never going to be okay. Not when Cas is nothing but ash on the ground. Who was going to watch over him and Sammy once it was all over? Nobody because that's who would be left. Nobody! Everyone else was dead and if Cas died too…

"Dean," Cas whispered, opening his eyes and looking up at the hunter. He reached out blindly and Dean pulled away from his brother and watched the angel. Cas wasn't awake. He was only reaching out in his sleep. "...Always...watching...over-" A horribly wet cough burst from Cas' lips and the angel's body shook with pain. "D...Dean…" Dean reached out, taking Cas' hand. The angel smiled a little, coughing slowly halting and he closed his eyes again, drifting off. Dean licked his lips and looked to the angel blade still on the ground. _'Angels are watching over you.'_ A sad smile creeped over Dean's lips and he gingerly picked up the blade before stuffing it in his pocket. He then got up from the bed and unraveled Castiel from the tangle of blankets. Sam frowned at him, questioning what his brother was doing.

"Give me a hand, Sam," Dean called, lifting Cas' up into his arms.

"Dean, what are you doing?" Sam questions, getting up to his feet. Dean met his brother's eyes briefly, lips trembling. He doesn't have to say anything. Sam reads it through his eyes. The younger Winchester looks to Cas' body and then to Dean again. "What changed your mind?" Dean grinned at him a little, shaking his head and walking out of the door. Sam stared after his brother for a moment before finally rushing to catch up.

* * *

In the field under their tree Dean and Sam sit with Cas. Dean has Cas' back pressed against his chest and Sam is on their right, staring out into the distance. When Cas stirs from the cold wind they look to the angel. Cas slowly opens his eyes and smiles. Dean slowly pulls the angel blade from his pocket and points the tip right to the center of Cas' chest. The hunter's hands are shaking, but he's steadied by Castiel's cool hands. Sam then reaches out too and covers both their hands with his own.

"A beautiful death, right?" Cas whispered. Dean stared at the blade and nodded slowly. He attempted to pull the blade back, but he couldn't move, he was frozen in place. If they did this Cas would be gone forever. Yet, if he didn't Cas would live the rest of his days in agony. Cas squeezed Dean's hands a little and Dean choked out a sob.

"Promise you'll come back, Cas. Promise me," Dean pleaded. Castiel nodded slowly.

"Nothing really dies, Dean," Cas whispered. Dean nodded and looked to his brother. Tears were streaming down Sam's face too now and his breath was shaky. Castiel leant his head against Dean's cheek, feeling hot tears fall onto his face as they escaped the older hunter's eyes. The angel didn't have to look at Sam to know that the young hunter was crying too. Cas closed his eyes, envisioning his perfect heaven. He saw them sitting by the dead tree, but it was no longer dead. White and blue flowers were now growing and leaves decorated the once bare branches. It was beautiful.

"Thank you," Cas whispered to them both as the blade moved back, ready to pierce through its victim.

* * *

**Thank you **_**deathraptor22**_** for the review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Cas held Sam with the help of Crowley and Hannah. The Winchester was ready. The time to carry out their plan to save Dean had finally come. There was a loud banging noise from down the hall as the bunker door was thrown off its hinges. Dean. He was finally here. Hannah looked to Sam, watching as the hunter pulled and snarled. After several months he had finally dug himself lower than any demon. Cain had sacrificed himself to hell to send Abel to Heaven. In order to break the spell Abel needed to return the favor. Being that Dean was a descendant of Cain they would then need a descendant of Abel. Sam Winchester. Cas had tried to talk Sam out of ruining his own soul, but the hunter would do anything for his brother and did everything possible in order to become a bigger monster than any demon or knight of hell. Last but not least they would need the angel that conducted the spell to create the mark. Since raising Lucifer from the pit was out of the question a sibling would do the trick. This sibling would be Cas. Hannah offered, but Cas refused. It needed to be him. They were his hunters after all. All Castiel needed to do was chant the spell that created the mark backwards and drape the wearer of the mark with his grace. Easier said than done. _

_Shoes clicked against the floor and the group turned to see Dean walk in, eyes black and blade in hand. The demon grinned at them, eyes falling on Crowley._

"_Betrayed me, partner?" Dean hissed. Crowley growled deep in his throat, glaring daggers into the demon._

"_Partner? I gave you the chance to be my right hand man, Dean. I offered to share my throne and what do you do? You try to steal it from me," Crowley spat, fire in his eyes. Dean let out a barking laugh._

"_Steal it? It was never yours. You lost it as soon as you stuck that needle in your arm!" Dean shouted. _

"_Enough," Cas snapped. Silence filled the room and Dean straightened, eyes raking over the angel. _

"_You look like shit," he commented. Cas ignored him and instead stepped between Dean and Sam, holding up his hands and speaking in a string of Enochian. Dean scowled. "What the hell are you doing?" Dean snapped. Cas stayed silent, body glowing as he used part of his grace to help with the spell. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Dean growled, taking a step forward, but he couldn't move. His body was frozen in place. Hannah stepped forward then, glaring into Dean's black eyes._

"_Lucifer made a deal with Cain long ago. If Abel went to Heaven instead of hell Cain would go to hell instead." Hannah pointed at Sam. "A man of Abel's bloodline has fallen to the poisons of hell, breaking the promise." Dean's eyes widened. "With the spell broken so is the purpose of the mark. It's over, Dean. When Cas finishes it's all over."_

"_NO!" Dean cried, clutching at his head and screaming at Castiel and his brother, cursing them and snarling like some feral animal. Castiel ignored his old friend and repeated the last of the chant and light exploded through the room. Dean and Sam screamed in agony until the light faded away. Cas leaned against the kitchen table, breathing heavily. Sam and Dean slowly rose from the tiled floor, eyes meeting. _

"_Dean?" Sam croaked, back to normal again._

"_S...Sam?" Dean croaked back, body shaking as he slowly pulled himself towards his brother. They reached each other then, pulling each other into a tight embraces. _

"_Hold on," whispered Hannah. "Why is Sam healed? I thought it would only heal Dean of his mark?" Crowley shook his head, watching the two hunters on the floor._

"_Your grace didn't only wrap around Dean, did it?" Crowley questioned, looking towards Castiel. The angel didn't look at his sister or Crowley. "You reached out to Sam too." A small smile made its way across Crowley's lips. "A bit reckless thing to do when you don't have much grace to spare," Crowley commented. Castiel shook his head and straightened himself. _

"_I'm fine. Now I suggest you leave before I destroy you on the spot," Cas spat, eyes blazing a fiery blue. Crowley held up his hands and quickly vanished from the bunker leaving the two angels and two hunters alone. Castiel and Hannah then looked to the Winchesters to see the two had picked themselves up from the floor and were now coming towards them. _

"_Thank you," they both murmured, pulling each angel into a tight hug. Dean held Cas slightly longer, looking into Cas' eyes as he pulled back and repeating his gratitude. Cas only smiled at the hunter before stepping back and looking to Hannah._

"_We should leave you both alone. There is much for you both to catch up on," Castiel stated. The hunters both nodded, waving as the angels teleported back into heaven_

_Cas instantly collapsed to the floor once back in Heaven, blood dripping from his nose and mouth. Hannah cried out, kneeling to her brother's side. He pushed her off and took in a few ragged breaths before finally steadying himself and wiping away the blood._

"_I'm alright, Hannah," Cas whispered. Hannah shook her head, worry in her eyes._

"_No. No, you're not, Castiel. Let me get the Winchesters. They could help -"_

"_No, please, Hannah. They've been through enough already. They...deserve some peace." Castiel slowly lift himself up and leaned against the desk in the room. "Besides...there's nothing anyone can do for me anyway."_

* * *

Hannah stood in Metatron's old office in heaven, remembering the scene from so long ago. She looked away, turning her gaze to the rest of the office. It was time to stop thinking of the past and time to worry more about the future.

Papers were thrown in all directions around the room from her frantic searches. Every day she got a silent prayer from Sam and Dean telling her how much worse her brother had been getting. She wanted to drop everything and go to her brother whenever she heard the prayers, but she couldn't. She had to find Castiel's grace if it was the last thing she did. She just had to think of where the thing could be. Looking around she tried to think like Metatron. The angel was a lunatic, but he was clever. He would put it somewhere obvious, but not too obvious. Hannah walked around the rooms, eyes catching on a shelf by the desk. She approached it, eyes skimming what was sitting on the shelves. _Supernatural: By Carver Edlund. _

"The Winchester Gospel," Hannah chuckled, taking a book from the wall and smiling at it fondly. This was where it all started. Hannah's fingers brushed gently against the pages, a thought suddenly coming to mind. She looked down the line of books spotting the one she was looking for. She set the other book down and stared at the other book on the shelf. _'Lazarus Rising'_. The angel sent a silent prayer to her father, pleading that he help her just this once. Slowly, she reached out, pulling the book from the shelf. Behind the book sat a small glass vial sealed with a cork. Her eyes widened and she snatched up the vial, holding it close. Castiel's grace. Castiel's grace! Hannah pealed her hands away from it and peered at the glass, heart stopping to a halt. Instead of a glistening blue and white light the grace was still and clear. It almost looked like thickened water. Hannah reached out with her own grace, hoping to get some response, but she got nothing. Hannah spread her wings, terror filling her from the inside out. She flew out of Heaven at a supersonic speed, but she already knew what she would find.


	5. Chapter 5

**To celebrate the return of Supernatural tonight I give you the last chapter! Enjoy guys! Now, I'm afraid I must go. I have Season 10 to prepare for.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Hannah searched for the hunters, detecting them somewhere in the woods. The angel followed the two hunter's pulsing souls, breaking through the canopy of trees separating her from the ground. She landed with a thump, eyes finding the two hunters under an old, dead tree. Their heads were bowed and a limp figure rested in Dean's arms.

"Castiel?" Hannah called. The boys looked up then, staring at her with grief ridden eyes. Hannah looked past them, heart snapping in half. Her eyes were on her brother. Red was spreading out around him on the colored leaves and the front of his shirt where an angel blade still stuck out of was also a blossoming red. Reaching across the area were two large scorch marks in the form of tattered and frayed wings. Then there were his eyes. The once blue galaxies were now nothing other than cold, lifeless, grey orbs.

"We're sorry, Hannah," Sam sniffled, brushing a hand over his face to clear away the tears, but they only continued falling. "It was just...time." Hannah looked away from the hunter and looked to his brother. Dean was closing Cas' eyes, stroking the sweaty locks of hair with his free hand. Hannah fell to her knees at her brother's side, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stared at the empty body of her dear little brother. She pressed her fingers against Castiel's forehead and gripped the dead grace in her free hand. She willed her grace to bring him back, but it was all too late. His heart refused to beat. His lungs refused to breathe. She dropped the vile of grace into the leaf covered grass. Her hand on Cas' forehead gently brushed against the cold skin. Tears burst from her eyes and a sob scraped her throat. Sam reached out to her, gently rubbing her back as she cried. Dean pulled the blade from Cas' chest when Hannah lowered her head. He stared at the red blood dripping from the silver blade, bile rising in his throat. He shook himself of the feeling and tossed the blade away. Hannah looked up again at the sound of the blade hitting the crunching leaves. Her eyes met Dean's and the two stared at a long time before looking back to the angel in Dean's arms. More blood continued to blossom from across Castiel's shirt and Hannah had the urge to reach out and press down on the bleeding wound. The thought was pointless though. Trying to stop the bleeding would do nothing for the angel. Castiel was gone.

* * *

Reds and yellows blazed next to the old dead tree Cas always enjoyed sitting under in his final days, licking upwards into the night sky. Dean and Sam both said some words, voices cracking as tears choked their voices. Dean threw Cas' blade into the fire, watching as the flames slowly melted the blade until it was nothing but a puddle of molten silver. When it was Hannah's turn she stepped up to the flames, fishing the grace out of her pocket. The clear liquid inside shimmered in the light of the flames. Hannah only wished the shimmering was because Castiel was alive, not because of the hideous flames now feasting on her brother's vessel. A sob left her lips and Hannah looked up into the flames, throwing the grace into the red and orange swirls. The flames roared a bit as they swallowed the grace and Hannah turned away only to be pulled into Dean's warm embrace. Hannah's eyes widened. Of all the things she had expected from Dean Winchester this wasn't one of them. She had expected to be screamed at and blamed for not finding Cas' grace sooner, but instead she was met with a tight embrace and a weeping Winchester. When Dean pulled away both his and Hannah's eyes were red from crying. Dean looked to the fire and the tree with a small smile and Hannah stared at him with worry. She looked to Sam, but the hunter was smiling too. Her eyes went back to Dean and this time the hunter met her gaze with a sad yet happy gleam in his eye.

"Nothing really dies," Dean whispered to her.

* * *

Long after burning Cas' body Dean, Hannah, and Sam found themselves back at the tree almost every day. When they would go, instead of being greeted by a dying tree they were greeted by a giant tree with budding white flowers and green leaves. Around its trunk sprouted blue flowers that reminded them of Castiel's eyes. They hadn't noticed at first, but when snow started to fall and green suddenly appeared on the tree's old branches the three were left mesmerized. The tree grew fast. One day the emerald colored leaves were only starting to appear and then the next they completely covered the tree. Flowers soon began to bud in the branches and along the trunk soon after. Animals of all kinds went to the tree, feasting on the bushes growing along the flowers around the trunk. Dean had gone to chase them away, not wanting them to destroy the tree, but there was no need to worry. Every day the tree grew back what it lost. It even stayed bloomed year round, never dying and never losing its beauty. The tree didn't seem to follow the rules of Mother Nature, but Cas never followed the rules either.

Dean, Hannah, and Sam walked out into the clearing, smiling at the tree waiting for them in the center. It was the first day of spring and the grass was starting to peak through the pure white snow. Bees and butterflies flew around the blue and white flowers around the tree. Dean kneeled down in front of the tree, hands gently reaching out to the flowers.

"Nothing really dies," Dean whispered to himself as he picked three flowers from around the trunk and handed one to his brother and Hannah before bringing his own to his nose and breathing in the sweet smell. The wind blew through his hair then along with Hannah's and Sam's. The three smiled up at the tree, warmth filling the hole left when Cas did.

"Hey, Cas," Dean called out into the air. The wind rustling through the tree's leaves whispered back.

"Hello, Dean."


End file.
